Chapter Six
Not even a week had passed, and Daphne could say she was friendly with Potter. No, with Harry. She was so used to calling him only Potter that it was still hard to remember to call him Harry.
After Harry's acceptance in the house of the snakes, Gryffindors sneered at Harry everywhere he went. Some of the older dorks attempted to bully some snake firsties, only to have been found stuck to the walls, with no memory of the event whatsoever. The firsties, however, refused to say anything about who helped them, even though it was painfully obvious. They all looked at Harry in awe.
Daphne found it amusing.
Harry's crusade to crush both the dorks and the duffers was going great. In classes he would perform his work properly and nicely, even before Granger, earning the points she would normally receive. Somehow, Daphne believed he had sabotaged Granger's potion, earning her a T in Potions. Oh, how she had cried and found it unfair, and the best part was that Harry had left no proof pointing at him. For all intents and purposes, Granger had failed.
Daphne didn't fully understand where all the hate between Harry and Granger had come from. They seemed so close... Everyone thought they would be dating, but that didn't happen at all. She could understand some of it, but there was more anger and hate than could be properly explained. Daphne was curious, but she wouldn't pry.
Weasley attempted to start a confrontation with Harry several times, calling him a traitor and a slimy snake. Harry's reply was a sneer (to everyone's surprise) and a question, "Remember McGonagall's words first night of first year, Weasel? What am I asking, of course you don't. She said our house was our family, therefore, I ask you, Weasel, who is the greater traitor, the one who turns his back on those who betrayed him first or those who turn their backs on family in a time of need?" Which, of course, led to Weasley drawing his wand and attempting to curse Harry. He never did because of the Disarming Charm Daphne sent him, completely silently, earning her a nod from Harry and a couple of house points from Professor Snape, who saw everything.
Even Longbottom attempted to confront Harry, leading to one of the weirder moments in Hogwarts history. Longbottom came up to Harry in the corridors after Transfiguration class, asking to speak to him, stuttering all the while. Harry's reply? He glared at the near-squib boy, and behind him his massive snake Zael took form. Only then did Harry speak, his words full of loathing, "Get lost, you damned traitor, before I feed you to my snake." Longbottom wet himself and ran like the wind.
The Slytherins found it amusing, but Daphne found something else in Harry's actions. Real hate. Furthermore, nothing had justified the summoning of Zael. He hadn't done it against any other dork before that. Many had been far worse than Longbottom, and yet, Harry had done it. Why had the squib earned such hate from Harry? She was even more curious, but again, she didn't pry. However, that led to questions about what Zael was, and McGonagall took twenty points from Slytherin for threatening a student, ten for casting spells in the corridors, and twenty for summoning a dangerous beast. Harry was livid, he banished Zael and left before he would blow up, or at least that's how it looked.
Daphne had also seen Weaselette looking at Harry in the corridors several times. Harry didn't even look at her, his despise clear in his face.
Then there were the duffers who started to sneer even more at Harry. When one of them attempted to cast a spell at him, the spell was rebounded and hit the caster, making the puff grow donkey ears and start braying. It had been amusing. Then there was the time during dinner on Harry's third day as a snake, when the entire puff table flashed and all duffers became naked. It was chaos. It was humiliating for them, of course, and despite the fact that there was no evidence, everyone knew it had been Harry. He wasn't docked points nor given detention because nothing, not even his wand pointed to him as the culprit. From that moment on, only a few duffers bent on revenge even looked at Harry.
Daphne also started to spend some extra time with Harry. Not only during study sessions with their year mates but also in her tutoring sessions, for which Harry was almost always ready. Daphne could say she was enjoying learning with Harry's help. She would never admit it, but he was actually a great teacher. Theo, Tracey, Blaise, Millie, and herself had all become rather friendly with Harry over the past week. Even Pansy seemed more pleasant. Malfoy kept his polite distance, and Crabbe and Goyle stayed at his side.
Of course, there had also been the Howlers from the Weasley matriarch, accusing Harry Potter of being a traitor to the Light, demanding he request a new Sorting and go back to Gryffindor. Harry sat the Howler down, ignoring it while eating breakfast, while also ignoring the snickering from the dorks and the duffers. Before the Howler could end its rant, Harry pointed his wand at it, causing it to burn to ash.
"It's too early in the morning to listen to banshees," was his reply, causing some snickering among the house of the snakes and dejected looks from the other houses. The same thing repeated itself for three days, until the deputy headmistress actually contacted the Weasley banshee and forced her to stop sending the damn Howlers, which Harry Potter always ignored anyway.
One would suspect that Lucius Malfoy would come barging into the Great Hall and demand justification for what happened to his son, but somehow Lucius had been found injured in a dead end in Knockturn Alley. No one knew what happened, but he had been in a coma with serious injuries ever since. Narcissa Malfoy, if she knew what had happened to Draco, didn't say anything. Malfoy did stay away from Potter. It was as if he had finally understood that he wasn't the prince of the snakes.
Curiously, an armourer in Knockturn Alley had reported the theft of several items, among them two complete sets of dragon hide armour. One possible theory, favoured by the Prophet, was that since illustrious citizen Lucius Malfoy had been found in the vicinity, he had obviously attempted to stop the burglary and was heavily injured by the perpetrators.
The Daily Prophet wrote several pieces about Harry and his resorting, accusing him of turning Dark and Evil, considering his behaviour, the strange accidents that had befallen Hogwarts, and his resorting to Slytherin. Harry's reply was printed in the front page of the Daily Prophet and every other publication in Magical Britain:
An Open Letter to Wizarding Britain:
Greetings,
My name is Harry James Potter, known among you as 'The Boy-Who-Lived'. I've come to reply to the accusations made against my person.
Ever since my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, naming me the fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament, I have been the target of a vilification campaign by nothing less than the entire country, spearheaded by none other than the Daily Prophet and Ms. Rita Skeeter.
First of all, concerning my selection as a champion: As I have said several times over, I did not place my name in the Goblet of Fire, nor did I ask anyone to do it for me. I even swore by my life and magic that I did not do it, nor did I ask or coerce anyone else to do it for me. Ask for a memory from your children. I made the oath the day after the first task.
As you may know, I was exiled from the house of Gryffindor for being a cheat. Considering my previous statement, supported by my oath, it's clear that Gryffindor house exiled me without reason, so I refused to be a part of that disgraced house anymore. I asked for a resorting, and the Sorting Hat decided that more than ever I qualified to be sorted into Slytherin house, the very house it wanted to sort me in my very first year but didn't because, unfortunately, I was a young and impressionable lad who had been told that only evil wizards come from Slytherin, given the examples of Lord You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters (to our readers, the original letter had the name of You-Know-Who written, which we have taken out to protect our readers' sensitivities).
HOWEVER, as I came to learn over the previous years, Slytherin is the house for the cunning and ambitious, not the Dark and evil. Sure, You-Know-Who did indeed come from the house of the snakes, as did several of his Death Eaters, but so did many of our most ancient and noble families, as well as other noteworthy individuals. Did you know that our own Madam Pomfrey, Hogwarts' matron was a Slytherin?
Is the Prophet implying that these noble people are Dark and evil, just because they were sorted into Slytherin? They certainly imply this about me, that my Sorting into the house of the snakes is nothing more than a sign of my own Dark and evil ways. Why, I ask?
Concerning the accidents that befall Hogwarts students, I can only say that my wand was tested using Priori Incantato, revealing nothing. Headmaster Dumbledore, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, and Professor Snape were all present at the time and can act as witnesses.
I would appreciate it if this character bashing campaign would stop, lest we need to involve the law.
Harry Potter
In truth, the message had been short, direct, and had done its job. The following day, the Prophet published a front-page article acknowledging Harry's letter and apologizing to him and to every other Slytherin student and alumni for Ms. Skeeter's words.
It was rather amusing for Daphne, especially when she saw the smug look on Madam Pomfrey. She had never known she had been a snake.
Of course, all that was nothing compared with what happened on the fourth night after Harry's Sorting into Slytherin.
~Flashback~
The students entered the Great Hall for dinner, only to find the tables empty of food.
"Are we early?" asked Theo. Daphne, however, noticed the distress on the face of some of the teachers.
"Something is happening," said Harry, as he noticed the entire Great Hall filling with students, many of whose faces carried a look of shock when they saw the empty tables. Whispers quickly became full conversations as the time passed and no food appeared.
"Where's the food? It's not here!" shouted none other than Weasel as he was entering the hall.
"As if we haven't noticed it," complained Blaise, feeling his stomach growling.
"Stop complaining, you're not the only one who's hungry," replied Millie, and Blaise actually shut up.
Daphne saw the proceedings and sighed. She looked at Potter, who was reading a book about pureblood etiquette.
"You could drop the book for a moment, you know?" said Daphne, somewhat exasperated.
"As amusing as it is to see Zabini being chewed out by Bulstrode, I do want to finish this section," he said. "Besides, you practically demanded I read this book and start acting like someone of my standing."
He raised his eyes from the book and looked at Daphne. "Or would you rather have me looking at those beautiful sapphires of yours?" he said with a smirk, making Daphne gape.
Everyone looked at him.
"What the hell?" asked Theo, looking at him in shock.
"I told you. Potter is a shameless flirt all the time he's with Daph," replied Tracey with a grin.
"Is someone who spent the afternoon kissing by the lake jealous?" asked Harry, looking at Tracey and making her blush.
"NO!" she said. "I just find it funny because she hasn't even cursed you once."
"Funny, the Stinging Hex on my left butt cheek says otherwise," Harry replied, noticing the smug look on Daphne's face.
"Wait, what?" asked Millie, suddenly very interested.
"He angered me," was Daphne's reply, "He called me 'Princess'.''
"I was trying to motivate you," replied Harry, ignoring the others' laughing, "But, since it was silent and with no movements, I'll let it pass." That shut them all up.
"You're learning from him?" asked Blaise, seeing the Daphne's smug expression.
"Yes, Potter has his uses. Who knew he was actually a good teacher?" she said with a smirk, tossing her hair.
"Wait, I think something weird is happening!" said Potter suddenly, stopping them. "Greengrass just complimented me. Someone make sure the world isn't ending!" They all laughed and Daphne cast a silent spell, turning Harry's hair Slytherin green. Harry could see that behind the cold exterior, Daphne was actually having fun. Their year mates laughed even more.
"Well, nice spell... but why green?" he asked with a grin.
"It suits you," was her reply, and much to her chagrin, he didn't Finite the charm.
"Attention students, there seems to be a problem with our food," said Dumbledore, gathering everyone's attention. "We expect to have it resolved in a matter of minutes, so please, we ask for your patience."
"OK, that's it..." said Harry, closing his book. "Dobby?"
The weird house-elf appeared next to Harry and they started to talk between themselves, unheard by anyone. Then, Harry's laugh was heard across the entire Great Hall, silencing everyone. They all turned to him, seeing him laughing too hard, almost falling from the bench. He was being supported by the house-elf, who was himself trying hard not to laugh. He failed, of course, and he too started to laugh. Master and elf both fell on the floor laughing. The snakes were concerned about Harry, and Daphne was even more so when she heard Harry saying he couldn't breathe because he was laughing so hard.
"Mr. Potter!" shouted Dumbledore. "What is the meaning of this?"
Of course, Harry only laughed harder.
"Tell... Tell...oh Merlin, that's hilarious!" said Harry again, trying to regain some composure. Everyone was looking at him in shock.
"What the hell, Potter?" asked Parkinson in a shriek while Harry was attempting to control himself by breathing.
"OK... OK... I can do this..." he said, and his new friends knew he was really trying hard. "I'd like to say that I support the house-elves' struggle. GO HOUSE-ELVES!" and he cracked up again.
Again, everyone started to look at him as if he had two or more heads.
"Call him, please. I can't..." he laughed again, this time sitting on the bench.
"Timbler!" called Dobby, and a very old house-elf appeared before Dobby, who was still laughing, just like his master.
"Timbler, please, can you... explain what is happening?" asked Harry politely, to which the elf nodded.
"We's house-elves are on strike, we are, until the evil one, she who must never be named, the bane of house-elves, stops her attempts to free and kill us, poor, working Hogwarts house-elves."
"What?" someone asked, not really understanding.
"Can you explain, Timbler?" asked Dumbledore, looking at the house-elf and the still laughing Harry Potter.
"The evil one keeps dropping clothes for us poor house-elves. One of us touched the clothes and was freed from its bond to Hogwarts. Poor Tiby is dying because of it. And she keeps doing it to kill more of us poor, hardworking house-elves," Timbler said, in a mixture of sorrow, anger, and desperation, enough to bring Harry out of his amusement while everyone else was imitating a fish. "We even stopped cleaning the red tower but she leaves things everywhere else too. We's lives in fear."
People were just gaping, looking from the old elf to the younger elf who stood with his hand on his shoulder. He wasn't laughing any more, and neither was Potter. They were both getting angry, if the scowl was any indication.
"Oi, Granger, how does it feel?" he asked, glaring at the Gryffindor, "to know that you are killing good and hardworking house-elves because of your stupidity? Did you even research the elves? Did you even realize what you were doing by leaving those clothes all around?" asked an angered Harry Potter, as everyone's attention turned toward a fearful and red-faced Granger.
"I... I didn't..." she tried, before being stopped by Harry.
"No, you didn't, you stupid bint!" hissed Harry. "The house-elves refuse to work because they are afraid of you! You are almost a master for them, as are all of us. You have power over them and what do you do? You act as the typical m-word person that gives a bad name to all muggleborns. And you muggleborns wonder why you are frowned upon? It's because of people like HER! There are rules in this world, rules that I admit, I was unaware of until a couple of months ago. Rules that I attempted to learn. Rules that justify why my mother, a mere muggleborn, was appreciated and respected by even the most bigoted purebloods, except Malfoy. But yet, even if they call her a m-word person, many still hold some respect for her, because she attempted to be a part of the world, not change it and make a damn magical copy of the muggle world, destroying centuries of traditions. Try to understand this world and its people before assuming you know what's best for everyone else."
"The house-elves refuse to clean your tower because they are afraid to find more clothes, but that wasn't enough, right? You left more clothes all around, and now, the poor house-elves are even afraid of leaving the kitchen. Because of you and your damn SPEW! And because they couldn't do anything else, they refused to cook for us in order to draw attention to their plight before you kill them all!" accused Harry, pointing at Granger as his magic flared around him.
Everyone was impressed by Harry's insight, and knowingly or not, Harry had just declared himself a neutral in the political game that ruled the Wizarding World. Some muggleborns actually took his words to heart.
Everyone turned at Granger in anger, who was crying at the table. There were even some wands drawn.
Dumbledore and McGonagall opted to save Granger and take her with them, leaving a very angry population behind. Timbler vanished, knowing full well that his plight had been heard, eager to tell the good news to his brethren. Harry sat down again on the bench.
"Damn, the bint really is stupid," he said. "And the house-elves, sneaky bastards, they got us really good." He chuckled again, then Dobby laughed. The Slytherins found it amusing and laughed as well, as did Durmstrang and a couple of others. The Gryffindors didn't, they had been humiliated enough by Granger.
"M-word person?" asked Theo, raising an eyebrow to Harry.
"No one docked points, did they?" replied Harry matter-of-factly. Actually, there seemed to be some extra points.
"You still acted like a damn Gryffindor," replied Daphne, with a disapproving glare.
"Really?" he asked, turning to her, "I defended tradition. I even went to the point of stating that the muggleborns should learn our traditions in order to be accepted. We don't need to talk about my power, do we? My ambition? Well, I wouldn't be here now, would I? And please, Greengrass, I'm not as transparent as I show, I know how to be cunning. I am able to be a resourceful guy, and even though I don't show it often, I like to stay in one piece and I am pretty determined, as you could see by my speech. I may not be the standard Slytherin raised in a pureblood house, but I do have our traits."
"I am tainted with a bit of Gryffindor, though," he added after a moment.
The Slytherins stood, hearing Potter's reasoning on how he had the traits of their house. They couldn't fault him in that.
Tracey's stomach growled, as did Theo's and Blaise's.
"Damn, that was funny, but I'm hungry," complained Blaise.
"Well, if there is no dinner for us here, I think I'll just go back to our common room," said Harry with a smirk and a wink to his friends. "As amusing as this is, I think we may forget food for today." Then, the other three houses saw something remarkable happen. Almost everyone from the house of the snakes followed Potter out of the Great Hall as if they were following their leader.
The truth was that the other years saw the looks the fourth years gave each other. It didn't seem like they were going to eat anytime soon, so deciding to take their chances, they followed the fourth years.
Harry was still chuckling when they reached the common room, and after Harry's hiss, the door opened, allowing everyone to enter, only to be dazzled.
"Well, boys and girls, party is on me," said Harry, picking a butterbeer from a crate of ice. The common room had been rearranged, with a massive table in the middle with what seemed to be a massive chunk of meat in the centre, waiting for people to cut from it. All of the Slytherins were gaping looking at it.
"Everyone likes dragon, right?"
The party actually happened, and Harry admitted that he would have liked to have the party by the lake, but that would have likely caused trouble. Daphne approached him during the party when he was talking to Alistair, still wearing his green hair.
"You planned all this, didn't you?" she asked with an accusatory look. Alistair looked at the green haired young man and saw him chuckling.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Greengrass," he said with a smirk, and Alistair actually chuckled, realizing the truth. "It's not like I knew what was happening thanks to Dobby. It's not like I told Dobby to convince the house-elves to do something drastic, assuring them that would end their problem with Granger. And it's not like I knew that the elves would eventually do something, or that Dobby knew about the strike in advance…not telling me about it by the way, which would justify all my laughter. I really didn't expect it and prepare all this food from what we had in stock from the dragon I killed in the first task, just to feed my house, just because I'm a nice guy."
Then the laughter started, all around them. The revelation spread to all others in the house and everyone was looking in admiration at Harry. In one night, he had proven he embodied all of Slytherin's traits: Traditionalism, Resourcefulness, Cunning, Ambition, Leadership, Self-Preservation, Determination, Cleverness, Fraternity, and Power.
"I wasn't supposed to snap like that, though," he whispered so that only Daphne could hear.
The laughter continued and Harry's position was actually cemented in the house.
"So, what do you think, Greengrass?" asked Harry, and Daphne smirked.
"I think my name is Daphne. Use it, Potter," she replied with a beautiful smirk.
"Only if you call me Harry."
"Deal."
~End of Flashback~
Professor Snape entered the common room to find the party at full swing, and because he was hungry, he stayed for a piece of dragon roast. After being told everything, he actually paled and mumbled something, leaving shortly afterwards. Had anyone checked the points log, they would find "Harry Potter, fifty points to Slytherin for providing for his house," right after "Harry Potter, twenty points to Slytherin for defending the traditional values and making a point against the blatant stupidity of muggleborns." After giving seventy points to Potter in the same night, Severus Snape had to be sick. He desperately needed a strong drink.
The following day, everything was back to normal, except that Granger was receiving glares from everyone: her own house, the other houses whenever she passed by, and even the guests. She even got a detention, forced to write a report on house-elves, their history, and their role in the Wizarding World for the headmaster, as a form of informative detention.
If that were all she would be lucky, that is, if her actions weren't known and published in the paper. Which they were, thanks to a concerned student that wished to remain anonymous. Granger received several traps by owl post, some of which sent her to the hospital wing for several days, much to the amusement of the anonymous student. A student who decided to keep his hair green for a day, just to amuse himself with the exasperation of a certain blue-eyed blonde beauty, who deep down found his actions amusing as well.
To say that Daphne Greengrass was amused would be an understatement. Ever since Harry Potter had been sorted into Slytherin, there had been an almost continuous source of entertainment in Hogwarts. She was learning things she wouldn't learn anywhere else, and she was growing powerful. The fact that she welcomed Harry's blatant flirting also amused her. She actually found him to be a nice guy.
She knew very well that what he showed to his housemates was very different from the cold and vindictive mask he presented to the rest of the student body. Of course, Daphne didn't know then, but there was much more to Harry Potter than even she knew.
~BREAK~
Harry checked the contents of the stone container, which he had heavily warded. Ravenclaw's diadem was inside, as was an old grey sock. Both items were Horcruxes, the sock being the piece of soul once attached to his scar. Harry and Dobby had performed the extraction ritual (which was quite easy for someone who knew what to do) and attached the soul piece to one of Dobby's old socks. It had been the first thing he did after coming back to the past. He hadn't destroyed them yet; he was keeping them until the time was right.
He walked back to the desk and looked at the letter Hedwig had finally brought to him the day before:
Dear Prongslet,
What the hell do you mean you haven't received any of my letters? Do you even know how worried I have been? Even poor old Moony has attempted to get to you, but for some reason our letters haven't reached you and the owls always bring them back.
According to what you said in your previous letters, I can assume that it's because you spent more time at the Chamber of Secrets than other part of the castle... That sounds dumb, though... I have no idea why.
I am confident that this pretty owl of yours will be able to find you. For this reason, I'm sending all my previous letters with her.
The Daily Prophet has been our only source of news about you, and I must say, WELL DONE! According to the paper, your performance in the task was nothing short of amazing, although dangerous as hell. What were you thinking, young man? That was also the most irresponsible and foolish thing I have ever seen, and I did a few... And what do you mean, reveal your true self?
Sorry, I'm just trying to be supportive and responsible here... I know I have failed you, Harry but I intend to make it up to you from now on.
I'm with Remus and we're both fine. Please Harry, he should meet soon, preferably next Hogsmeade weekend and talk about this face to face. Remus agrees with this, and we should have some contacts to get you everything you might need.
I must say, I'm shocked (and so is Moony) that you were sorted in Slytherin. James is probably rolling in his grave, but hey, I know I was a bit of an idiot while I was a kid, but I am sane enough (Moony laughed here) to realize that Slytherin doesn't mean evil. Hell, my cousin Andromeda was in Slytherin, and she is an angel... The rest of the family though... Moving on... We support you either way, just make sure you are safe.
I have to say that I found it outrageous that that cute witch that helped you save me last summer turned her back on you, and I hope your Magical Oath brought her and that whole damn school down a peg.
I expect to hear more about this Veela bird soon.
Don't forget, send us a letter with your next Hogsmeade weekend date so we can get to you. I suggest the Shrieking Shack.
Be sure you are safe and make sure to tell us if you need anything.
Your handsome and roguish Uncle Padfoot and your not so handsome uncle with a furry problem Moony.
Harry grinned. His uncles were on his side. Good.
"Dobby," he called.
"Harry?" the elf replied, popping next to him.
"It's time. Can you get us to Grimmauld Place?
"I can."
"Very well. Get your armour and get ready to leave," replied Harry, starting to dress in his dragon armour while Dobby mimicked him. "Any idea on when our basilisk armours will be ready?"
"The armourer said that they should be ready either next week or the following," replied Dobby, earning a nod. Both dressed up in the full set, and Harry donned a black travel robe with a hood. Dobby sheathed several knives at his belt and Harry holstered his wand at his arm and a silver dagger at his side.
"Ready. Take us to Grimmauld Place," ordered Harry.
"Do you think your dogfather and the wolf will be there?" asked the elf, making Harry hesitate.
"Crap, I hadn't even considered it. I thought Sirius would be with Remus."
"I can go there and check the house. If they are there, I can meet with Kreacher and talk to him. If not, I can always come back and pop you with me," replied the elf, but Harry shook his head.
"Take me with you. I'll stay outside, disillusioned, and keep a perimeter while you check the house. My magic may still be keyed to the wards, so I should have no problems getting in," Harry considered.
"I presume that meeting them today is out of the question?" asked Dobby, to which Harry nodded.
"Too early, and it would raise too many questions," Harry replied, and Dobby nodded. Harry put his hand on Dobby's shoulder.
Dobby popped away and both appeared in an alley near the square outside of Grimmauld Place. Dobby felt the wards, and since he was still keyed into them, he silently popped into the house while Harry disillusioned himself and walked to the square, checking the street. He waited for a while, and nothing happened until Dobby popped next to him.
"I spoke to Kreacher and he's willing to listen to you. He says to enter through the door," reported Dobby. Harry nodded and went into the house. As expected, the door opened with a tap of his wand. Harry stepped into the entry hall and was met by both Kreacher and a screeching portrait of Mrs. Black.
"WHAT IS THIS? FILTH INVADING THE HOUSE OF MY NOBLE ANCESTORS? THIEVES, MUDBLOODS..." she continued to spew her filth until Harry waved her wand, silencing her by creating a ward around her frame.
Kreacher just stood there, eyes widening as he recognized something in the newcomer.
"You's... Kreacher feels Black family magic in you's. How? Why?"
"The answer is long and painful, Kreacher. All I will tell you is that I know your master Regulus's secret, and that I can help you to destroy the locket and bring peace to you and your master's memory."
Had Harry been paying attention to Mrs. Black portrait, he would have seen that the portrait had stopped her silent shouting and was looking curiously at Harry.
Kreacher widened his eyes.
"Why should Kreacher trust you?" asked the old elf, almost hopeful.
"Kreacher, you said yourself that you can feel Black family magic in me. I can give you an oath that I shall destroy the locket, or even better, I can have you destroy it when time comes. I am an enemy of the Dark Lord and I want to bring him down, just as your master Regulus wanted. He died attempting to destroy the locket, Kreacher. Don't you think we owe it to him?"
Kreacher nodded, tears in his eyes.
"If you's swear to me that you will destroy the locket for Master Regulus, Kreacher will give it to you's." Harry smiled, turning his wand up.
"I, Harry James Potter, godson to Sirius Orion Black, swear upon my life and magic that I shall either destroy or provide means to destroy the locket that the house-elf Kreacher possesses for safekeeping, given to him by his master Regulus Black with orders to destroy it. So mote it be."
A flash of light surged from Harry, and Kreacher widened his eyes.
"You's be Harry Potter, godson to filthy blood traitor Master Sirius?"
"I am, Kreacher. Will you trust me now?" asked Harry, ignoring the portrait's attempts to scream even more.
"When will you's destroy it?" asked Kreacher, hopefully.
"I wanted to destroy all of them together, before attacking Voldemort," replied Harry, and Kreacher nodded, snapping his fingers. The golden locket appeared in his hands.
"Can you's do it now?" asked Kreacher and Harry shook his head.
"No. I don't know if the Dark Lord will sense its destruction and I don't want him to get suspicious."
"Kreacher agrees. Can Kreacher witness it when time comes?" he asked again, and Harry nodded.
"I shall send my friend Dobby to get you then, Kreacher," said Harry, waving at Dobby, who remained in silence the whole time.
"Young Dobby elf is lucky," said Kreacher, looking in awe to the younger elf, "You's haves the strongest bond."
"My master offered me his friendship, Kreacher, not a normal bond. I was truly blessed by magic, and if I may, you can trust in my master's words."
Kreacher nodded and delivered Harry the locket.
"Kreacher, I believe that your master Sirius Black will come to this house soon. Could you please not tell him anything about me being here or about Regulus and the locket? When it's all done, we can tell him, but not now. Can you do this?"
"Kreacher agrees," the old elf said, and Harry turned to Mrs. Black, who was purple, looking at Harry.
"Lady Black, before I leave, I want you to know that all you heard was true," said Harry, pointing his wand at the painting, alarming Kreacher who was stopped by Dobby. "Unfortunately, I can't let you remember anything that happened here today. Did you know that paintings can be Obliviated? OBLIVIATE!"
Harry placed the locket inside the container with the sock and the diadem. Only Nagini, the cup, and the ring remained. His chosen method to destroy the Horcruxes was fairly simple. He planned to dip the items in basilisk venom and let the Horcrux be destroyed, leaving the item intact. The container was already made in preparation for that eventuality.
Harry sat in one of the chairs, thinking about the irony. Had it not been Kreacher, he would have entered the house and killed the elf and claimed the locket. However, Harry Potter had a soft spot for Kreacher, even if they had a bad start in the original timeline. Kreacher had proved to be instrumental in helping him with the affairs of the House of Black after the war. That was the only reason Harry had spared the old elf. Gratitude, or so he liked to think.
While Harry was thinking, Dobby brought him some tea.
"It was far easier than expected," said Dobby, to which Harry nodded.
"We can get the ring tomorrow evening or later," said Harry, thinking. "The bloody snake has to be the second to last for obvious reasons, and I am not very confident about the cup."
"Couldn't you make an agreement with the goblins?" asked Dobby, and Harry shook his head.
"I doubt it. I had a meeting with Silverteeth a couple of weeks before we came back and he pretty much admitted that goblins don't care about what the clients keep in their vaults, as long as it isn't a danger to the Goblin Nation. We can count out goblin support."
"Then, what is your plan? I don't think that assaulting the bank again is a good idea, even with the help of an ambitious goblin…" the elf said, earning a chuckle from Harry.
"It did work last time, didn't it?" Harry said, grinning, "But no, I think I have a better plan. All we need is to ensure Bellatrix Lestrange's cooperation."
"How?" asked Dobby, knowing full well that his master already had an ingenious plan.
"We start by breaking her out of Azkaban. But that's a plan for the new year."
~BREAK~
By the end of the second week of December, Daphne was already tired. Tired of being teased by her dormmates, by the older girls of the house, and even her bloody sister. All of them wanted to know if she was dating Potter, and if so, then for how long? Or, if she wasn't, could she provide some advice?
How hard could it be to understand that they were just...allies? The thought felt...empty, though. She liked Harry's company. He could be amusing, and he had great knowledge of magic spells, much to her surprise, although he was a disaster with traditions and protocols. He was friendly, and was completely different from the pampered prince Malfoy and Snape had advertised for years. He was powerful, smart, and vicious, had access to the Chamber of Secrets, and didn't bow down to anyone. Sure, Daphne had started to consider Harry a friend the day of the house-elves' strike and considered him one of the most interesting boys in the house, but that didn't mean she was involved with him.
Her sister was the worst. She hadn't asked for advice, nor had she asked for clarification about Harry and Daphne's business arrangement that everyone was confusing with dating. No, Astoria had just come to her and had asked, out of the blue, "How long will it take for you two to get into a broom closet?"
It was in moments like those that she really hated Harry Potter, but then he would do something that would amaze her. How did he make her forget her anger towards him? Harry decided to introduce her to the Room of Requirement, on the seventh floor. The room was able to create everything you wanted and take any shape desired. When she asked him how he had found it, his reply was, naturally, "Salazar Slytherin's journals."
"One day I'll want to check those journals," she said once in exasperation. It seemed that was his reply to everything.
His reply?
"Fine, I'll take you to the Chamber of Secrets tomorrow night."
He did take her to the Chamber. She was not amused to discover that the entrance was in the second floor girls' toilet. She was quite impressed, however, with the magic giving access. With a hiss, Harry summoned stairs and lights, and amused her with the story of how he originally found the Chamber. He told her about the place where Lockhart caused the tunnel to collapse, and how he had been forced to carry on alone.
The further they went, the more Daphne started to have a bad feeling about the trip. When they reached the Chamber, Harry opened the doors and she found herself in a massive cave with snake statues, a massive statue of a man's face, and in front of it a sixty-foot basilisk skeleton posed in an attack position.
Had it not been for Harry, Daphne would have fallen on her knees after seeing the skeleton.
"You... You killed that?" she asked in awe.
"Yeah..." he said in a whisper, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms and smelling her perfume.
"How?" she asked again, still looking at the skeleton, afraid she would shed tears if she looked at him.
"I stabbed it through the mouth with Gryffindor's sword. One of its fangs bit me though, and I survived with the help of Fawkes's phoenix tears."
"WHAT?" she shouted, turning to him in an instant, breaking the hug with a look of shock and disbelief on her face.
Crap.
"Are you telling me that you, at twelve years old, stabbed that through its mouth? And were pierced by a fang, and yet survived because of phoenix tears?"
"I can show you the memory, if you don't believe me," said Harry. Daphne looked at him in shock.
"Sure," was her apathetic reply.
Harry led her to a wall and hissed in Parseltongue. She already expected it, as it was Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. The wall opened to reveal a massive chamber, with a room, a laboratory, and a library sharing the space.
"Welcome to my secret chambers since Halloween. Have fun," Harry joked, and Daphne glared at him.
"Who do you take me for? This is Slytherin's private chambers, isn't it? I guess I need you to speak Parseltongue."
"Ten points to Slytherin," Harry joked again, walking with her to the library section. It was Slytherin's private collection, or at least part of it, including several of his journals. She made sure it was safe to pick up a journal by making Harry pick the one she wanted first and confirming nothing happened to him. She opened it, only to be shocked at what she saw.
"Can you pick another one?" she asked, pointing to the one she wanted. He handed it to her and she was equally shocked. "Harry?"
"Yes?" he asked, sporting a smirk.
"What is this?" she asked, turning the pages and seeing only squiggly lines.
"My best bet, considering I can read it and you can't, is that it is either written Parseltongue or there is a charm that disguises the words so that only a Parselmouth can read it. Considering the fact that snakes don't need to write, I'll go with the second," he said with a smirk.
"You bastard," she told him, closing the journal with a disappointed look in her face. "I was actually excited, you know?"
"I know," he replied with a straight face, "You wanted to see the journals. I never promised you'd be able to read them, though. The best I can do is translate them for you, but that would take several years."
Daphne sighed.
"Fine... You had a memory to show me?" she said, looking at him with cold eyes. He nodded and took her to the living area, towards a Pensieve that stood on a table. Harry removed a memory from his head and dropped it into the bowl.
"I added the memory of everything from the time we entered the toilet until everything ended. Are you ready?"
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"I want to do something, so I'd rather not," he replied. "Pay attention and then I'll answer all your questions, all right?"
"Fine," was her reply, and she placed her head in the bowl. Harry chuckled. She really had much to learn about him. Harry went to one of the shelves and picked out a tome, carefully enchanted by him when he had returned to that time. He picked up the first ten journals from Salazar, in chronological order, and performed the enchantments, creating copies of the ten journals in the tome, in English.
She was definitely going to be surprised.
The time passed and Daphne came out from the Pensieve pale and shivering, only to see Harry sitting at a chair, reading a journal.
"You... He...you..." Harry sighed and closed the book, walking towards her. He saw her red eyes and the horror she felt seeing the memory. He embraced her and she let him.
"He's gone now, Daphne," he said. She was trembling.
"How? How was it possible? The diary? Voldemort?" she asked.
"I don't know what kind of magic that was," he lied, "But it's gone now."
She looked at him with a scowl, "I hope you're no longer a stupid Gryffindor."
"No, now I am a cunning Slytherin," he said with a grin.
"I mean it," she said, her voice low and cold.
"There are moments," he replied, knowing it was true.
She left his embrace, embarrassed she allowed herself into that position, but she had to admit, it felt nice.
"Daphne?" he asked, and she looked at him again. He was smiling and waved her to come with him. He picked up a book and gave it to her. She opened and gasped.
"But... but you said..." she started, looking at the page 'Diary of Salazar Slytherin, volume one'.
"With magic, there is always a way. That tome will translate every book from Parseltongue into English, as long as you perform the charms properly. You have ten journals there, have fun and then I can get you more," he said, not noticing the tears of happiness in her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered, "It's a lovely gift, but what do you want in return?" she asked, her Slytherin side taking charge.
You!
He walked towards her and wiped her tears, giving her a hug. "I'll tell you at the Yule Ball, but I promise you, I'll not force you to do anything you don't want to," he whispered. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right there, but he knew he still had a lot to do if he wanted her to fall in love with him. So, he decided to wait.
"That's fine, then," she whispered, still in his arms. What was it that he did to her? She needed to get a hold of herself. They've known each other for barely two weeks, for Merlin's sake. She had a reputation to uphold.
~BREAK~
Unlike what many students believed, it was fairly common to see Slytherins walking alone through the corridors of the school. It was mostly the younger years that walked together. Daphne liked to walk by the lake in the evening, preferably alone. It was one of those things she had taken a liking to, which contributed to her Ice Queen persona. She didn't mind that people considered her a cold-hearted bitch. Of course, that had been before. Now, she found herself smirking often, sometimes smiling. What happened to her emotional control?
Her thinking led her to a long walk by the lake, stopping sometimes to throw a couple of stones into the water. She blamed Potter. Harry. Potter. Damn it.
She stayed by the shore; her arms crossed while she looked into the water. She had no idea what to do. She no longer denied it, she liked him almost as much as she liked Tracey or Millie, who were her best friends, therefore, she considered Harry a close friend. He could be kind, funny, and a smartass, but he could also be vicious, ruthless, and unstoppable. Sometimes he showed interest in her, but not the interest she usually saw on the face of other boys. At times he treated her just like a friend, while other times she found herself the target of his flirting.
Harry Potter was a puzzle.
She decided to walk back to the common room, since she still had the Charms homework to do. Not all of it was bad, though, she thought to herself. She had noticed that since she had become closer with Harry, the number of lustful gazes and looks given to her had decreased dramatically.
That was one of the good things. She kept getting powerful and was learning several new spells. Being Harry Potter's ally for all his research to prepare for the tournament had its privileges too, since Harry had full access to both the Restricted Section and Slytherin's library.
As she entered the castle doors she turned toward the dungeons, only to be intercepted by two Gryffindor girls and a boy, who were all attempting to look threatening. The new golden trio: Granger, Weasley, and Weaselette. Oh joy.
"Look what the Kneazle dragged in," taunted Weasel, levelling his wand at Daphne.
"What do you want?" asked Daphne in a cold and imperious tone, actually making Granger shiver. It was short lived though.
"You don't scare us, bitch!" shouted Weaselette, red with anger. "We want you to release Harry from whatever spell or potion you have him under."
"What?" was Daphne's thought, "How crazy are they?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Daphne again.
"Oh, please, don't even try it," replied Granger with her bossy attitude. "We've noticed he's always around you and that you're using him to improve your grades. There is no way he'd become a Slytherin of his own free will."
Daphne glared at Granger.
"Really, oh smartest witch?" she asked with a sneer, "Tell me, how could I be controlling him? He could resist Moody's Imperio, so how would I possibly control him?" she asked.
"Love potion," replied Weaselette, showing her famous Weasley temper.
"That's ridiculous," replied Daphne, before being cut off by Granger again.
"Is it? I noticed the looks he gives you. I noticed he keeps you around more than everyone else. What else could it be?"
"You really think we'd fall for that? That Harry would just turn his back on us? That he'll just get to fancy a slimy snake like you?" asked the pig, making her groan.
Not these idiots too.
"What exactly was your plan?" asked Granger, smirking at the blonde girl, "Turn him to your master?"
My master?
"I bow to no one, Granger. I'd take care with what you say."
Weasley scoffed.
"Right, as if we didn't know better. All you slimy snakes are Death Eaters in training. I bet this was your plan all along, you used Dark magic to put his name in the cup, gave him some kind of potion or cast a spell on him to turn his back on us, and forced him to go to your house, just to bask in his glory as champion and keep him around so you can deliver him to You-Know-Who."
"What?!" she shouted in anger, almost losing her composure.
"You-Know-Who is dead, Weasley," replied Daphne, making them scoff.
"Oh please, do you think we believe that?" asked Granger again, "We went with Harry when he faced You-Know-Who in our first year. Harry always thought he would come back one day and so did the headmaster."
WHAT?
It was completely unbelievable, that's for sure.
"Now, Greengrass, we are all sensible people here. Give us the antidote or counter spell so we can free Harry from your influence, then he can come back to Gryffindor and forget this nightmare."
"I'm not controlling him," Daphne replied, seething. Those three idiots were really getting on her nerves. Granger just glared at her.
"Fine, be that way. Ginny?"
Daphne saw the Weaselette grinning, pointing her wand at her, slowly, as if she was getting some sick pleasure from it. Daphne sidestepped Weaselette's wand and drew her own, casting a silent Stunner at the younger girl followed by the Banishing Charm, just like in class several weeks before. With nothing but a wave of her wand, Weasley and Granger were thrown against the wall, giving her time to stun them both.
Before Daphne could do anything else, she heard claps. Turning toward the direction of the sound, she saw an amused Harry Potter, leaning against a stone pillar.
"Well done," he said, still clapping. Daphne holstered her wand again, glaring at him.
"How long were you there?" she asked, walking towards him, letting her anger show.
"Long enough," was his reply.
"Didn't think to help me?" she glared at him, getting angrier when he just grinned.
"I thought about it. But why would I, since you didn't need my help?" he replied, giving her a smile, "It's not like you couldn't beat them on your own."
She just stood there looking at him, while his words settled in her mind.
Does he trust my skill that much?
"Now, how about I escort you to the common room?" he offered, at which point she started to walk.
"And give them more reasons to bother me about our nonexistent relationship?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, "I think not."
"You do realize I was on my way to the common room as well," Harry taunted, leaving the three dorks abandoned on the floor.
Daphne groaned.
"Why don't you just go to the Chamber?" she asked without looking at him.
"Why? Tired of me already?" he asked with a smirk, and she turned to him, anger in her voice.
"Stop that!" she hissed, and he lost the smirk. When he didn't reply, she turned her back on him and continued to walk until she suddenly stopped, remembering what Granger had said.
"Our first year... Was what Granger said true?" she asked, turning back to him.
"It was," Harry replied, noticing her curiosity. When she was about to ask, he raised a finger. "Not today. Tomorrow."
She nodded. She just wanted to get to her dorm. She even forgot about the homework.
~BREAK~
Daphne was sitting quietly in a replica of a chair from the Slytherin common room created by the Room of Requirement, trying hard not to show her emotions. Harry sat in front of her in an identical chair, with a small table with tea set between them. He had just told her about the events of their first year, when he faced Voldemort and Quirrell for the Philosopher's Stone. Daphne found it hard to believe, but so far Harry hadn't lied to her. When he offered to let her view the memory she declined, absorbing everything she had just heard.
"So, you faced Him in our first year, and in our second you faced a sort of memory of him? And beat him on both occasions."
"Yes," was Harry's simple reply.
"Anything else I should know? Maybe Sirius Black is innocent and not interested in killing you at all?" she asked sarcastically. When she saw his smirk, she just snorted.
"I don't believe it..." was all she could say.
"Sirius is actually my godfather. He wasn't the secret keeper, Pettigrew was, and he went straight to Voldemort. Sirius went to Godric's Hollow that evening only to find my parents' bodies and see me being taken to Dumbledore. Sure, he should have taken care of me, but decided to hunt for the rat instead."
"Rat?" asked Daphne, unsure if it was a metaphor or not.
"Pettigrew is a rat Animagus. When Sirius found him, Pettigrew shouted at Sirius that he betrayed my parents and cast the spells that killed the muggles and caused the explosions. Sirius was taken in. I think he was out of it and was sent to Azkaban without even a trial."
"But...why?" asked Daphne, to which Harry shrugged.
"Don't know. But I can tell you where the rat has been for the past several years..." said Harry, looking into her curious eyes. She waved at him to continue.
"He's been the Weasleys' pet rat for almost twelve years. He even shared a dorm with me while at Hogwarts for almost three years." Daphne's jaw dropped. Really, she wasn't able to control herself.
She groaned.
"That's...that's just..." she attempted to say, only to be helped by Harry.
"A crazy story, but unfortunately all too real," he replied. "Just between you and me, I tried hard during our first year, but I had the beaver and the weasel always around me. I didn't want to be in the spotlight.
"Good job being sorted into Gryffindor, then," she replied with a sneer.
"I already explained it to everyone," he said, ignoring her, "I studied hard, but I didn't try hard on the exams. In our second year, it was the same. After finding the Chamber, though, I attempted to learn as much as I could in the few weeks we had left. Then, with Dobby's help I could go there to get more books for the summer, and last year I visited the Chamber regularly, either on my own or with Dobby's help. This year, with all my free time I've spent a lot of time there, reading, studying, and practicing. In a weird way, being banished from Gryffindor actually helped me." It wasn't a lie. Sure, it was hard to believe, but Harry actually had done what he had just described to Daphne.
She looked impressed.
"I'm impressed. I truly am."
"I realized I needed to get better and prepare myself. If I'm going to attract trouble, I want to at least be able to deal with it on my own. With the tools I have at my disposal, I'd be a fool if I didn't use them."
"True," Daphne replied, looking at her newest housemate with a respectful look.
There's still something about you, though.
"You know, Professor Moody talked to me today," she added, trying to change the topic of conversation while Harry picked up his tea.
Harry flinched, turning to her.
"Really? What did he want?" he asked, attempting to hold back the anger in his voice.
If you even touch her, I'll kill you, Crouch.
"First, he wanted to compliment me on my performance in class. When I told him I was studying with you, he asked how you were and asked me if you'd like to give a DADA class." Harry groaned, as Daphne knew he would. She grinned, "I told him that you were a good teacher and that it would be a good experience."
"Sometimes, I really hate you," he said as she smirked.
"Oh, don't be like that." She mock pouted for a moment, knowing very well he was kidding. "Then, he asked me how you were doing with your egg. When I told him that there was no actual breakthrough, he told me to think with water."
"Huh?" was Harry's intelligent reply.
"I found it strange as well, and even more so, why is he trying to help you? I mean, I understand Karkaroff aiding Krum, Maxime aiding Delacour, and Sprout aiding Diggory, but... Why Moody?" she wondered, failing to see the proud smirk on his face.
"Maybe he placed a bet like Bagman?" he suggested, to which she scoffed.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'd rather believe he's trying to make you look good to draw whoever put your name in the cup than help you to win," Daphne said.
"Think with water, then?" Harry asked, tapping his chin.
"Those were his words," replied Daphne, "What do you think?"
"Well, all I can think to do with the egg and water is to fill it up and see if the screech turns into something else," replied Harry, hiding a smirk.
"Or submerge it completely?" wondered Daphne, widening her eyes at Harry. Harry noticed her excitement.
"Dobby, bring me the golden egg," called Harry, and Dobby popped into the room with it.
"And a big receptacle to put it in," she said, only for the room to create a big bathtub.
"I won't even wonder what you were thinking," joked Harry with a laugh, making Daphne blush, "but please, carry on."
"Shut up." She glared at him, trying to ignore Harry and Dobby's laughing.
Harry placed the egg into the filled bathtub and opened it, placing his head under the water. As soon as he did, he started to hear the song of the egg:
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour — the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
It seemed that nothing had changed. Good. However, that also meant that they would take Daphne under the water, and that he had a couple of problems with. He came out of the water to see an excited and curious Daphne looking at him.
"So?" she asked, and he grinned.
"Ten points to Slytherin," he said, relating the song he had heard. Daphne frowned.
"What do you think that means?" she asked.
"The last part is obvious. I don't know what I would sorely miss but I do know who I would sorely miss, and I don't relish that thought," replied Harry as he looked at her. Daphne smirked.
"You better," was her reply. She found herself trusting in the green-eyed wizard, especially knowing what she knew.
"Let's assume that they are idiots and really take people who the champions would sorely miss. Let's assume they don't give you a choice and place you somewhere where I have to find you in under an hour..." started Harry, looking at her. Luckily, she didn't disappoint.
"Water...do you think the lake?" she wondered, starting to look afraid.
"Under the lake, in February?" he said, walking towards her. "Daph, promise me one thing," She looked at him, curious. "If they give you a chance, get out of there. I'd rather save anyone else than have something happen to you."
She smirked. It was moments like this she really felt her heart race because of him.
"Oh, you're too sweet," she replied in a mocking tone. "I'll think about it," was her reply and he smirked.
"Now who's acting like a Gryffindor?" he asked, earning a slap on the arm.
"Any ideas on how to find the mistress?" asked Dobby, who was all but forgotten. Daphne and Harry both blushed, silently cursing Dobby, who just grinned.
"How about we go to dinner now and continue this later?" asked Daphne, running her hand through her hair in an attempt to dismiss the nervousness.
"Let's go, then. Dobby, be a pal and take the egg back to the Chamber, will you?" asked Harry, to which Dobby nodded.
"Mistress, do you require anything?"
Dobby had taken to calling Daphne 'Mistress' for the past few weeks, if only to make her blush and tease Harry into making a move. His friend/master was a good and smart man, but sometimes was he really dense, especially if it was something related to Daphne Potter, née Greengrass.
Daphne had grown used to it and barely noticed anymore. She even liked it.
"I'm almost finished with the diaries," she said, "I'll need more soon."
"Already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Most of it was Salazar depicting his childhood. I skipped those parts," she explained, and Harry nodded.
"Me too. Later, then, we can set you up, maybe tomorrow," Harry considered.
"Or you can teach me the spells and I could just go there with Dobby and do it myself, without needing to have you there," she replied, crossing her arms.
"Are you that tired of me?" he asked, pouting.
"Pouting doesn't look good on you, Potter," she said, turning her back on him. "You are the one that has a private meeting in Hogsmeade, not me." Yes, he did. He had agreed to meet Sirius and Remus the following day, so he had told her he had a private meeting during the afternoon.
"Fine, I don't want the Ice Queen mad at me," he joked, dodging a Stunner at the last moment.
"Next time I won't miss," she said, leaving the room with a smirk.
You've got to love that woman.
Harry and Daphne entered the Great Hall. Not only was it Friday, but it was also the last day of the term. Apart the younger years, everyone was staying for the Yule Ball on Christmas day, which was only a week and a half from now. The people who hadn't found a date yet were now extra nervous about finding one, while the rest were putting the finishing touches on their robes and agreeing to Hogsmeade dates to get extra accessories.
The nervousness didn't extend to the fourth year Slytherins, though. Harry had asked Daphne days before the dance was even revealed, Theo asked his girlfriend a moment after the dance was announced, of course, but the greatest surprise was no doubt, Blaise, who asked his date two days after the announcement.
~Flashback, two days after the ball announcement~
"Come on, Zabini, you can do this," mumbled Blaise in front of the mirror, listening to his own reflection's pep talk early in the morning. "Just go up to her and ask her. It's not a big deal. The worst thing that can happen is that she'll say no."
"Or she can say that she already has a date," said a voice behind him. Blaise actually jumped from the spot, turning to see both Theo and Harry looking amusedly at him.
"What are you doing?" Theo asked, noticing how nervous Blaise was before chuckling, "What happened to the confident Zabini?"
"Shut up, Theo," he mumbled, turning back to the mirror, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Well, I don't want to go back to sleep like Malfoy and I'd like to check myself out, but someone is using the mirror," replied Harry with a grin. "Is this about that one girl?"
"Potter, I'm warning you, just don't go there," replied Blaise with a scowl.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere," replied Harry, raising his arms in a gesture of peace. "Although, you could just grow a pair and ask her."
"I'm not a dork to 'charge ahead', like you're all so fond of saying," replied Zabini, realizing his mistake when he saw Harry's scowl. "I mean..."
"I know what you mean," replied Harry bluntly, "But the thing is, the dorks are right about one thing, grab your guts and go ask her already. If I know you, you've probably made sure that she doesn't have a date yet, so get out there ask her once and for all. I'm getting tired of seeing you moping around, always giving up at the last moment."
"I agree, it's kind of depressing, Blaise. We all think of you as this suave guy but you're looking like an idiot, moping around. Hell, there's a pool going on just to bet on when you'll grow a pair."
"We don't all have the luck of already dating someone," replied Blaise, slightly angered.
"I'm not. And I still asked Daph," replied Harry with a raised eyebrow.
Theo chuckled. "Harry, whether you two admit it or not, as far as the school's concerned you two are dating." Blaise agreed with a nod.
"Besides, it's not like she'd tell you no. You're the only guy she's friendly with," said Blaise.
"Fine, but this isn't about me, is about you asking your girl to the ball," replied Harry, walking towards Blaise with an evil smirk. "You can do this the easy way or the hard way, which one do you prefer?"
Blaise actually gulped.
"Because I can always cast an Imperio on you and order you to ask her." Blaise gaped, as did Theo.
"Are you insane?" both of them shouted at the same time.
"No, it was a joke," sighed Harry, "Lighten up, will you? Now, would you say this girl of yours is pretty? Intelligent? Interesting?" Blaise nodded to all questions, earning an appreciative look from Harry.
"It's not Tracey, is it?" asked Nott with a scowl, earning two incredulous looks from his dormmates.
"No, it's not Tracey," replied Blaise, turning to Harry, fearing the question, "nor is it Daphne."
"We're just friends," replied Harry, although he hated the idea.
"Yeah, right..." replied Blaise, rolling his eyes.
"Quick question, if she's all that, why should other guys pass on her?" asked Harry, looking Blaise in the eye. "Why wouldn't a guy just go over there and snag her from you? Do you really think such an awesome girl will be waiting for you to find your balls and ask her? Of course not."
"Do you want her?"
Blaise nodded.
"Want to kiss her lips now, her whole body later on?" both purebloods turned to Harry, with wide eyes.
"What?" asked Blaise.
"Do you want her? Want her to be yours?"
"Yes..." he mumbled.
"Then are you going to let some other lousy git jump in and take your girl from you without a fight?" asked Harry again.
"No."
"I think you're just a coward," sneered Harry, angering Blaise. Theo widened his eyes.
"You take that back!" hissed Blaise and Harry approached him slowly and dangerously.
"Prove me wrong," he challenged, "If she's that worth it, prove me wrong."
Blaise actually grunted and pushed Harry out of the way and left the dorm.
"What the hell was that?" asked Theo, slightly confused.
"Motivational speech. We might want to hurry up, I want to know who he's going to ask," Harry said, starting to walk away from the room.
"Are you kidding, I'm not missing this," replied Theo.
Harry grinned.
And I didn't even have to use a Compulsion Charm.
They went back to the common room only to see Blaise on his knee, offering a red rose to Millie. The common room was silent, waiting for her reply.
"Yes, I will," she said with a smile. Theo couldn't close his jaw. Apparently, neither could half of the room.
~End of Flashback~
Blaise's shit-eating grin didn't disappear for the entire day. Not only did he asked Millie to the ball, but he also asked to escort her to Hogsmeade. When back in the dorm, his only comment was, "I like big girls."
Sure, Millie was neither ugly nor fat, she was broad and wide but most definitely a girl.
Harry just grinned, Blaise was VERY happy, Theo chuckled, and Malfoy looked disgusted. Of course, no one cared about what Malfoy thought. When asked who his date was, Malfoy informed them that he wouldn't be at the dance because he had family responsibilities. His father was still in a coma, and he had to help his mother at home. No one knew who Pansy's date would be, or if she would even go.
Harry and Daphne sat together with the fourth years and got the brunt of Tracey and Millie's teasing.
"No ruffled clothes, no swollen lips, no disheveled hair... Merlin, you two are so frustrating!" complained Tracey.
"Here we go..." sighed Daphne as Harry grinned.
"Ironing Charm, Anti-Bruising Charm, and a Combing Charm," replied Harry, making Daphne sigh.
"And the idiot gives them more reasons," sighed Daphne again.
Tracey looked at Harry, surprised.
"Uh, I have to remember those," she admitted, making Blaise and Millie laugh. "Anyway, come on guys, can't you just kiss once before Yule?"
"Why?" asked Daphne, glaring at the girl who was one of her best friends.
"No reason, but come on, it's obvious you two would be so great together," answered Tracey.
"I see, so this has nothing to do with the bet being handled by Amelia Yaxley?" asked Daphne, attempting to see a sign of deception on her friend.
"Daphne, how can you think I would bet on something like that?" asked an indignant Tracey, who actually excelled at bending the truth.
"Right," replied Daphne, turning to Theo. "Tell me, Nott, how much did you bet for your girlfriend?"
Theo choked on his pumpkin juice, ignoring the laughter around him.
"Well?" asked Daphne, still glaring.
"Do you really think I would ask Theo to place a bet in my name?" asked an affronted Tracey, glaring at Daphne, who just looked back at her.
"Yes!" the blonde replied. Harry found it amusing but quickly focused on Professor Moody, or as he knew, Crouch Jr., who was leaving the Great Hall.
"I'm sorry, but I need to speak with Professor Moody," said Harry, although none actually cared, as they were more focused on Daphne and Tracey, with Theo in the middle.
Harry walked behind Moody, reaching him just as he was arriving at his office.
"Professor Moody, could I speak with you for a moment?" he said, just as Moody was opening the door.
"Sure thing, Potter, come in," the older man replied, entering the room and sitting at the desk, leaving Harry to close the door. After quickly casting an imperceptible Locking Charm and a silencing ward at the door, Harry walked to the desk.
"What can I do for you then, lad?" asked the false Moody with a smile.
Without a word, Harry drew his wand on the professor,
"Veritas Imperio," he said, and the false Moody's eyes became void and dazed.
"What is your name?" Harry asked, his wand in his hand.
"Bartemius Crouch, Jr."
"How did you escape Azkaban?"
"My mother convinced my father to help me escape. She was dying and was given Polyjuice, taking my place in Azkaban while my father evacuated me after drinking Polyjuice to resemble my mother."
"How have you been kept away from unwanted eyes?"
"My father had me under the Imperius Curse for years, but I managed to fight it and escape last spring."
"To find Voldemort."
"Yes."
"What is his plan for me?"
"The Dark Lord intends to have you reach the Triwizard Cup in the center of the maze before all the others. It will be a portkey that will send you to a graveyard, where the Dark Lord will be expecting you with Pettigrew, who will perform a ritual to grant the Dark Lord a new body."
"So far, all is the same. Very good," thought Harry with a smirk, "Time to ask the real questions."
"What are the plans towards Daphne Greengrass?"
"So far, the girl is to remain unharmed, since she is a pureblood. Only if you seem reluctant to compete should I use her to motivate you. She is, however, a good way to give you information."
Good, no harmful plans for Daph.
"What does the Dark Lord know about me? Especially after the first task."
"The Dark Lord became very curious about your development, especially since you beat the dragon. He was also intrigued that you had been resorted to Slytherin. His orders were to keep watching you and stick with the original plan."
"Has he told you anything strange, or has he seemed distressed about something for some reason?"
"No."
"Very well, listen to my orders, Crouch," said Harry, casting a Memory Charm on him, "You will not remember you are under my Veritas Imperio spell. You are to continue Voldemort's plan as if nothing had happened. You will NOT hurt, nor cause hurt to Daphne Greengrass under any circumstance. You will continue to act as you have acted so far, and suggest a dueling club for next term. Tell them that you'd like to see the potential of the students. Also, feed the real Mad-Eye Moody and make sure he is alive and stable."
"You will believe that we were talking about gillyweed and that you have just suggested it for breathing underwater."
Moody breathed and looked at Harry, "Do you understand gillyweed, lad?"
"I do. Thank you, Professor, I'll make sure to get some soon so I can scout out the lake."
"Well said, boy. Remember, CONSTANT VIGILANCE! And that also means be prepared at all times."
"Thank you for your help, Professor. Have a nice day."
"You too, Potter."
Harry left the office, smirking.
All was going well.
Good.